Sam Adams Boycott St.Patrick’s Day Parades LGBT Stance

On Friday, Boston Beer Company — the maker of Sam Adams — said it will no longer sponsor the annual South Boston parade because LGBT groups are not allowed to participate in marching. Heinken has pulled out of the New York City parade for the same reason.

Gay rights advocacy group MassEquality and organizers of the South Boston parade, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, have been embroiled in talks attempting to broker a deal to allow 20 LGBT veterans to march. A 1995 U.S. Supreme Court decision ruled that the council could include or exclude groups at its discretion.

Sam Adams said it had tried to convince Boston’s parade organizers to modify their rules and allow LGBT groups to march. “We were hopeful an agreement could be reached to allow everyone, regardless of orientation, to participate in this parade,” the company said in a statement. “However, given the current status of the negotiations, this may not be possible.”

Parade organizer Philip J Wuschke Jr told the Guardian: “Our theme is St Patrick’s Day and Evacuation Day. It isn’t a sexually oriented parade. They have parades for that.”

The parade, which was held this previous Sunday, is one of the largest in the country and draws as many as 1 million spectators into South Boston.